[inac]

Newb question - where can I find "System Properties" (in windows) equivalent in ubuntu (find out the specs, memory, hdd, processor speed etc)

Incidentally, Does anyone know of a good Windows to Ubuntu user guide?

[psyopper]

System Monitor...

System - Administration - System Monitor

Also take a look at Control Center for the Ubuntu equivalent of the Windows Control Panel...

System - Control Center

A guide generally isn't necessary to move from Windows to Ubuntu. Most things are quite self explanatory and generally work the same. If you have a specific question feel free to ask it here, or google it as "ubuntu [question]" and you will certianly find many hits.

Also be sure to check out the Ubuntu forums: http://ubuntuforums.org

[reflex]

I like "lshw" in a terminal. (list hardware)

"sudo lshw | less" will let you easily page up and down. Or run "sudo lshw > ~/hardware.txt" to save the listing to a text file in your home dir.